Main Rivals

The Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS (also know as the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS) is a super-slim, super-stylish digital camera, with an all-metal body that's just 18.4mm thick. Available in black, red, silver or gold, the Canon IXUS 100 IS point-and-shoot camera sports a 3x zoom lens, 12 megapixel sensor and the ability to record 720p HD movies. Gavin Stoker finds out if the $279.99 / £299.00 / €349.00 IXUS 100 IS / PowerShot SD780 IS is the perfect marriage of style and substance...

The new Casio EX-FC100 is the fastest digital camera in town, capable of taking 30 six megapixel images in just a single second. The diminutive, well-built EXFC100 has a wealth of high-speed modes, including pre-recording images before you've even pressed the shutter button, and combining images to help eliminate camera shake in low light conditions. Video is also one of the Casio EX FC100's strong points, with 720p HD footage and 1000fps, super-slow-motion movies on offer. This 9 megapixel model is also a very capable still camera, with a 2.7 inch LCD screen and 5x optical zoom lens. With an official list price of $399.99 / £349.99, the Casio EX-FC100 is an expensive point and shoot - read our in-depth review with sample images, videos and more to find out if it makes the grade.

The Fujifilm Finepix F200EXR is potentially one of the most revolutionary cameras of 2009. It features Fujifilm's innocuous sounding EXR technology, which rather cleverly turns the Fuji F200 into three cameras in one. The first EXR mode shoots a high-res 12 megapixel picture, the second takes a 6 megapixel photo with less noise, and the third combines two 6 megapixel images taken at different exposures to capture more dynamic range. Does Fujifilm's brave attempt to concentrate on image quality rather than more megapixels pay off? Carry on reading our detailed review to find out...

World Exclusive! The Ricoh CX1 is a new point-and-shoot digital camera that focuses on one key area - image quality. At its heart is a new 9 megapixel CMOS sensor and image processing engine, the combination of which promises expanded dynamic range, lower noise and faster operation. The CX1's new DR shooting mode combines two images shot with different exposures to create one image with more detail in the shadows and highlights, while a fast continuous burst mode of 4fps should ensure that you don't miss the action. There's also an amazing high-resolution LCD screen, 7x optical zoom lens and a veritable wealth of options to keep even the most ardent photographer happy. The Ricoh CX1 is available now for £299 in the UK - we find out if it's the real deal in our latest in-depth review...

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T500 is a stylish digital camera with a large touch-screen LCD and HD movie recording. The 10 megapixel Sony T500 also features a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 5x optical zoom and optical image stabiliser. Video is recorded at 1280x720 pixels at 30fps in the MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format. Available in black, silver and red for £289 / $399, Gavin Stoker discovers if the Sony Cyber-shot T500 offers as much substance as style.